Grammar: There is and There are (Affirmative, Negative, Questions) – English – 2nd Year Middle School – Algeria

There is / There are

We use “there is” and “there are” to say that something exists or doesn’t exist somewhere.

Affirmative

• There is + singular noun: “There is a book on the desk.” / “There is some water in the bottle.”
• There are + plural noun: “There are five chairs in the room.” / “There are many students in the class.”

Negative

• There is not (isn’t): “There isn’t a pen in my bag.”
• There are not (aren’t): “There aren’t any apples in the fridge.”

Interrogative

• Is there…?: “Is there a bank near here?” / “Is there any milk?”
• Are there…?: “Are there any good restaurants?” / “Are there students in the class?”

Short Answers

• “Is there a supermarket?” – “Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.”
• “Are there any parks?” – “Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.”

Exercises

1. Complete with there is/there are: “___ a cat in the garden – ___ two windows in my room”.
2. Make negative: “There is a problem – There are students in the class”.
3. Make questions: “There is a post office – There are books on the shelf”.
4. Describe your classroom using there is/there are (5 sentences).

See also Grammar: Prepositions of Place and Vocabulary: Places in Town.